“I’m fine.”
“I’ll walk it off.”
“It’s too much of a hassle.”
“Doc’s not going to tell me something I don’t already know.”
Does this sound like anyone you know? Or maybe this sounds like something you’ve said yourself?
Taking care of your health is an important part of being a good dad. However, a combination of stigma and monetary factors have contributed to many men feeling reluctant to schedule check-ups with their doctors. This clinic aversity has very real consequences: In the most severe instances, avoiding routine appointments regarding your health could result in a shorter life.
We don’t say this to scare you, but rather to make the point that preventative health care should be top-of-mind for dads and father-figures. But what does preventative healthcare mean?
We like using the “upstream” metaphor—popularized by Dan Heath’s book of the same name—to illustrate why preventative healthcare matters. Heath’s view is that, when we have the wisdom to turn our attention to “upstream issues,” the large-scale, society-wide, and sometimes invisible issues facing our society, we can prevent needless tragedies downstream at the same time.
The same is true for our bodies. When we focus on large-scale lifestyle habits and choices, we can prevent (or at least reduce) health problems down the road.
Luke Van Kirk is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and founder of Command Family Medicine, a direct primary care provider with locations in Springfield and Branson. He has been running Command since 2015.
When Dr. Van Kirk sits down with his male patients, he says he’s encountered his fair share of reluctance.
He’s sympathetic to the inclination to put off a doctor’s appointment. Sometimes it’s a pain to get on the schedule. Life gets busy, and it feels like a chore. And once you’re in the exam room, you sometimes have as little as 10–15 minutes of your doctor’s undivided attention. It’s no wonder that many men have the attitude that going to the doctor is a waste of time, that they’re not getting much out of it, he said.
But the good news is that the tide is shifting in the ways he hears his patients talk about their health. More on that in a bit.
Preventative healthcare begins with a choice
We wouldn’t blame you if your first thought about “preventative healthcare” is that it begins when you’re in your 40s or 50s. But that’s not true.
According to Dr. Van Kirk, preventative healthcare begins “the earlier the better.” Ideally you have been identifying and implementing good habits (and breaking bad habits) since childhood, which puts you in a good position to stay healthy for your whole life.
The alternative is that you’re “playing catch-up” later in life once you’ve noticed the reality of not taking care of yourself, as Dr. Van Kirk put it.
But where to begin?
Dr. Van Kirk’s Big Three are diet, exercise and sleep.
Preventative healthcare might also mean blood work and other lab tests, but it depends on your individual situation, and this is best decided between you and your doctor. In general, these tests can identify issues before it’s too late.
Dr. Van Kirk also suggests his patients take their family histories into consideration. He explained that some people are more likely to have certain conditions based on the health histories of both sides of your family. If you don’t know much about your family health history, there is no better time than the present to begin interviewing immediate and extended family on this topic.
One reason for optimism, Dr. Van Kirk says, is that there are many more screening and testing options available to doctors today. Galleri is one such option. This blood test from the healthcare company GRAIL is a tool doctors like Van Kirk are increasingly using because it can identify potential issues and their causes—especially cancers that are harder to detect.
Dads’ action steps for upstream health with your children:
- Get plenty of exercise together as a family. This does not need to be extravagant or expensive.
- Start healthy eating habits while children are young.
- Establish a bedtime routine that everyone in the family can stick to.
- Talk to your folks about family health histories: especially heart conditions and cancers.
Rule of thumb: Children who grow up playing catch with Dad, eating their veggies and getting plenty of sleep are more likely to continue these healthy habits until adulthood.
How dads can take care of their health
When Dr. Van Kirk consults with his patients, he encourages them to be proactive with their health. This can look different for everyone, but the heaviest hitters tend to be cholesterol, kidney function and hormone levels.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said.
Starting from zero
For patients who are doing nothing for their health at the moment, Dr. Van Kirk says he focuses “big-time” on diet and exercise education. This means building a sustainable exercise routine, cutting down on processed carbohydrates, and implementing strength training to help men stay functional as they get older.
Screenings make the invisible, visible
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” says Dr. Van Kirk—which is a scary sentiment when you consider ailments like high blood pressure. He calls this a “silent killer” because high blood pressure can’t be detected just by looking at someone.
Talking about T
After about age 30, men’s testosterone levels begin to slowly creep down, which makes it harder for the body to maintain muscle mass and metabolism. Where there used to be stigma, Dr. Van Kirk says he’s observed a cultural trend among his male patients that leads him to believe that more people are more open to hormone prescriptions. Safely taking testosterone with the support of medical professionals can have myriad benefits: For example, returning to a higher testosterone level helps the body remain sensitive to insulin, Dr. Van Kirk said, which can help to prevent things like diabetes and cancers.
Previously, the attitude of some of his male patients was much more like, “I’ll just put a Band-Aid on it,” he said.
More people are aware of and interested in testosterone replacement, he says, because their friends are talking about it. This is a great thing, in Dr. Van Kirk’s view, because it means men are more interested in being proactive. Instead of ignoring a nagging injury, this deeper medical understanding can help patients feel that it is indeed worth it to talk to their doctors.
What’s more, these advancements in treatment can actually help fix an issue instead of just treating a symptom, he said. And Dr. Van Kirk uses talking about testosterone as an inroad to “check the boxes” on other health items that need men’s attention, like blood pressure and blood sugar.
Room for excitement
In Dr. Van Kirk’s view, more men are more open to talking about their health than they’ve been in the past, and he points to two primary reasons: For one thing, it’s easier to find high-quality, research-backed information from trusted online sources. The second reason is that there have been so many important advancements in testing technology that make detection easier.
Advanced mode
Dr. Van Kirk advocates for the VO2 Max test. This test, which measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during high-level exercise, can tell you how healthy you are or how agile you’ll be when you get older. A higher score means your heart and lungs work better to fuel your muscles.
Not everyone takes him up on VO2 Max text, he said with a laugh, because it is a difficult test to do. You run on a treadmill while wearing a special face mask that measures your breaths. Every minute, the administrator turns up the speed/elevation of the treadmill and asks you to report your “level of exertion” on a scale from 1 to 10. This keeps going until you have to stop!
Your score is influenced partially by lifestyle choices and partially by genetics. In general, if you have a higher score today, you can count on a healthier life as you get older, too. The score is helpful to Dr. Van Kirk when he talks to his patients about ageing. He often asks: What do you want to be able to do as you get older?
Dr. Van Kirk says his dream is to get more patients to do this test, and he hopes his clinic will have this test as a package option someday.
Mental, physical and social
It’s no secret that your physical, mental and social health are all connected. If you are not exercising regularly, it is likely to impair your mood and thinking power. “Exercise is one of the best anti-depressants available to you,” Dr. Van Kirk said.
The value of a support system can’t be overstated, either.
“It is super-important to mental health,” Dr. Van Kirk said. “People need community.”
Otherwise, he said, it is easy to assume that you’re the only one facing a particular problem. Dr. Van Kirk especially suggested getting to know people in different stages of life. These friends can be valuable repositories of advice — because, odds are, they went through something what you’re experiencing now.
Beyond a network of supportive friends and family, men benefit from counseling, too. Don’t be so quick to dismiss counseling services, Dr. Van Kirk, warned, because it’s just another tool in your toolbelt.
